The whole plane ride to Memphis, all Round Rock (Texas) center Leonard Allen's mother could talk about – being a former Memphis resident and a former University of Memphis undergraduate student – was how beautiful the city was.

But, as it happened, the weather on the first day of Allen's official visit to the U of M last Saturday was quite dreary. It proved to be the only letdown of the weekend for the 6-11 senior, whom the Tigers have targeted as the potential last piece of their top-flight 2013 recruiting class.

"We stayed at the Peabody, which was really nice," Allen said Monday evening. "The (Louisville) game was intense. I liked the game. I had fun at the game. Nobody told me I was gonna be on TV that much. I was hoping the camera wouldn't go my way."

It was one of the first times the spotlight's been on Allen as a basketball player. Though he possesses elite size at a hair under 7-foot, it wasn't until this past summer — his first on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit — that he was seriously recruited. In addition to Memphis, Allen has officially visited Illinois State and San Jose State. He said he hopes to visit San Diego State, where his father, Leonard Allen Sr., was once a three-year starter, after the holidays before making a decision.

"Nobody just knew about me," Allen said. "My name just started getting out there. I'm guessing as my name got out there, that's when people realized I had potential."

The U of M staff sees Allen as a player who could develop into a key contributor down the line, in the same mold as a D. J. Stephens. At a gangly 218 pounds, Allen will need to add weight and strength before he could play major minutes.

Scout.com West Coast recruiting analyst Josh Gershon, who saw Allen at an EYBL event in Oakland earlier this year, said Allen may be a perfect redshirt candidate, wherever he goes. Allen is not ranked by Scout, though he is listed a 3-star prospect by similar scouting services.

"As he's able to put on weight and add to his skill level, I think he could be a nice player," Gershon said. "He plays hard and has nice touch. He showed some good things. With him, it'll be a matter of commitment to the weight room and to add to that skill level. In time, you can have a nice player."